


A Dragon's Dissent

by silverandviolet



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate History, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Gen, House Targaryen, Metafiction, Timeline
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-02 20:33:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4072981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverandviolet/pseuds/silverandviolet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the main line of the ruling family - inbred as it is - starts to show signs of madness, the Lords Paramount of the realm turn to another branch of the dragonlords.</p><p>A compilation of various sources, this is a short history of the reign of King Daeron, of the House Targaryen, Third of His Name, and how it came to be in the first place.</p><p>(<i>or, a world where King Aegon V's youngest son broke his betrothal with Olenna Redwyne, but married his lover, Ser Jeremy Norridge's sister, and was able to sire an heir on her before he died</i>)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fear not. This does not mean I am abandoning any of my other stories. This is only a small project I'll be writing to get the juices flowing when it comes to _Paradigm Shifts_ or _What the Storm Brings_. It will start with excerpts such as this, and eventually I may be do letters and such if I'm terribly bored. Do give me feedback on this.

_Not much is known about the early days of King Aegon the Unlikely's third son by Lady Betha Blackwood. Prince Daeron Targaryen was born in the late moons of 228 AC, the younger brother of Princes Duncan and Jaehaerys and Princess Shaera, and later the elder brother to Princess Rhaelle. He was sent to foster at Highgarden by his kingly father in a bid to better relations with House Tyrell, whose heir Luthor was also betrothed to Princess Shaera. It is here that Prince Daeron developed a keen interest in arms and warcraft. It was famously repeated by a proud King Aegon that Prince Daeron shut himself in his room for days when he was eight namedays old and a mere page to Lord Tyrell, all because he was not permitted to accompany the knights of the Reach to fight the pretender Daemon III in the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion. He was knighted eight years later by Ser Duncan the Tall - rather than his foster father as is the tradition - when he arrived to escort the young prince to King's Landing._  
  
_This was when Prince Daeron first learnt of his betrothal to Lady Olenna Redwyne of the Arbor, arranged by his mother. Earlier, his eldest brother Duncan had married a commoner, Jenny of Oldstones, instead of his intended, Lady Argelle Baratheon of Storm's End and given up his claim on the throne, passing it to Prince Jaehaerys. The new heir, also betrothed - to Lady Celia Tully of Riverrun - had further deceived his father and secretly wed his own sister, Princess Shaera (who was betrothed to Luthor Tyrell). These two marriages had doubtless dented the alliances the king so coveted. Aegon the Unlikely counted on at least his youngest children, to go forward with the planned weddings, however this was not to be in the case of Prince Daeron._  
  
_The prince bid his time and at the age of eighteen, surprised the realm by absconding with a young reachwoman he had known in his time at Highgarden named Elinor Norridge. This union proved to be the source of much gossip in the years that followed, as Prince Daeron, it was whispered, preferred the company of men - not to mention that House Norridge was composed of landed knights at best, and there was no great alliance that could come out of this match. In the later years, there was an increase in speculation about Princess Elinor's brother, Ser Jeremy, who was his princely good-brother's staunch companion and perhaps even lover._  
  
_Princess Elinor was a generous woman above all else. Whether it was her humble beginnings or anything else that motivated her, she was the patron of many orphanages and motherhouses in the crownlands. She was encouraged in her charitable pursuits by Queen Betha and King Aegon, both of whom also had soft spots for the smallfolk of the realm. Prince Daeron's modest keep by the waters of the Blackwater Rush was often where ailing old women and abandoned babes were taken in for the night before they could be dispatched to the appropriate establishments._  
  
_Less pleasant were Princess Elinor's relations with her good-sister, Princess Shaera. The two were often at each other's throats with none to come between them, as Prince Jaehaerys would be busy in his duties as heir and Prince Daeron in his duties as Commander of the City Watch alongside Ser Jeremy Norridge. When the news of Princess Elinor being with child was announced, it was rumored that Princess Shaera wondered aloud if the child would be her brother's at all._  
  
_Whatever the apprehensions were, they were proven unreasonable when in 250 AC, Prince Daeron became father to young Prince Baelor, who had the silver hair of the Valyrians coupled with brown Norridge eyes. The happiness and joy in this branch of House Targaryen would prove short-lived, however, when the martial Prince Daeron would lead an army to defeat the Rat, the Hawk and the Pig only a year later, and die - supposedly - in the arms of his good-brother, Ser Jeremy._  
  
_Prince Baelor spent the next eight years of his life in the Red Keep in the company of his older cousins, Prince Aerys, Princess Rhaella and Steffon Baratheon. The difference in their ages was not the smallest, however, and as such Baelor was mostly isolated from children his age and preferred being with his mother and uncle Jeremy more than anyone else._  
  
_House Redwyne, who had been snubbed by Baelor's father, arrived at court near the tail end of King Aegon V's reign during a touney held to honor Prince Aerys' fifteenth nameday. Lord Paxter brought with him his beautiful young sister, Bethany, niece to the spurned Lady Olenna, and it was then that the aging king decided to arrange Lady Bethany's marriage to his grandson Baelor. Unknown to him, it would be this very marriage that would lead to the fall of his direct heirs from the Iron Throne many years later and the start of a new era in the history of House Targaryen._

  * an excerpt from 'A Complete History of the Reign of Dragons', by Maester Rowyn




	2. Chapter 2

_Tragedy struck Prince Baelor's childhood at court when news came from the Targaryen palace of Summerhall. King Aegon the Fifth, along with much of the royal family, had assembled there to perform a ritual that would bring the dragons back to the world once more (see_ The Fall of Summerhall _). However, the gathering had been cut short when the very fires meant to crack open the eggs of the famed beasts of the old had engulfed the king and all others with him, with the sole exception of Princess Rhaella, who had given birth to Prince Aerys' heir, a boy they soon named Rhaegar._  
  
 _This, Princess Elinor knew, meant that the comfort herself and her son enjoyed at court would not last long. King Aegon's death meant that Prince Jaehaerys would now ascend the throne, and Prince Aerys not long after, due to his father's frail health. That Prince Aerys disdained upon his quiet, somewhat pious cousin was not much of a secret. It was partly the effect of the now Queen Shaera's long-standing rivalry with Prince Baelor's mother and partly because of Princess Elinor's lowborn blood. Thus soon after the coronation of Jaehaerys II, the modest crownlands keep King Aegon had gifted his son Daeron was once more home to that branch of the Targaryen family._  
  
 _It was soon clear that the name given to the young prince in the light of the Seven told everything about his person. From an early age, he exhibited more interest in the Seven-Pointed Star than a longsword, and preferred the serenity of a Sept to the sweat and noise of a practice yard. He was soft-spoken and generous, assisting his mother daily in her charity work while his uncle, briefly Commander of the City Watch for King Jaehaerys, despaired at the lack of qualities Baelor had inherited from his late father._  
  
 _An incident prominent in his life took place when Prince Baelor, then all of age four and ten, calmly told his mother that he wished to break his betrothal to Lady Bethany Redwyne, which had been organised by his grandfather bare moons before the fires of Summerhall. Princess Elinor knew what consequences could come out of this action -- the Redwynes had been spurned before by Baelor's father, and no one wanted a conflict at their hands so soon after the War of the Ninepenny Kings -- thus she in a panicked state begged her son to reconsider his decision. Prince Baelor's reluctant reconsideration meant a trip to the Great Sept. None know what happened to the pious prince inside the walls of the holy place his namesake had built, but all know what happened next. A moon and a half later, seven and ten nameday old Lady Bethany arrived at King's Landing with a hastily assembled retinue of Redwynes and was taken under the protection of the three-headed dragon by her solemn intended, who now claimed that the gods had spoken to him._  
  
 _Surprisingly, it did not take long for Prince Baelor's wife to grow with child, despite the fact that the young Targaryen had formerly claimed to have sworn off women. Many wondered what had been the cause of the change in their prince, and whenever any asked, they were given a simple answer: "It is my destiny." Princess Elinor's relationship with her son grew strained as the months after the wedding passed, many whispering that it was due to his constant cryptic answers and refusal to speak clearly. Prince Baelor's days began and ended where the gods could see, and in the night he would sit by his lady wife's bedside and pray for the health of not one, but two babes he was sure were in Princess Bethany's belly._  
  
 _Every disbeliever in Prince Baelor's power of foresight was proven wrong when in the early months of 265 AC, twins were born to Princess Bethany at Dragonskeep by the waters of the Blackwater Rush. The surprise and awe of the people was soon replaced by pity and grief, though, when the mother of the two newborn Targaryens perished in the birthing bed within hours of seeing her young babes. This was not all: brown-haired, brown-eyed Naerys followed her mother soon after, leaving Prince Baelor only silver-haired, brown-eyed Daeron to call his own._

  * an excerpt from 'A Complete History of the Reign of Dragons', by Maester Rowyn



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explanation about Baelor's predictions: he had a very loose version of a dragon dream, which he interpreted as being shown to him by the gods. His conclusions through said dream were that he had to marry and bear the twins ASAP, as it was the universe's way of correcting the path of history his father diverted when he chose to marry Elinor.
> 
> Thank you for the kudos on the previous chapter. As I've said before, this is really mostly a side-project, so getting a good response was a bit of a shock. Cheers.


End file.
